Could the story have turned against her? Was this the part of the narrative where the heroine in disguise is confronted by her arch-enemies – or possibly where the protagonists find and dispose of the villainous spy, all depending on the reader's viewpoint? [p. 172]
Then Kai is abducted by the Fae (agents of chaos and change) and, pursued by Irene, is taken to a Fae-ruled version of seventeenth-century Venice. Can Irene save her apprentice before the forces of chaos overwhelm him? Can she trust the Fae she meets on the Train? (Train is capitalised because it's a powerful Fae entity in its own right, usually known as the Horse and directed by the Rider.) Can she even stop to breathe? Evidence suggests not: this is a hectic and headlong chase of a book, with obstacles at every turn and allies indistinguishable from enemies.
I would have liked more about the Horse and its Rider; I did enjoy the exploration of Fae culture and etiquette, and some of the new Fae that Irene encounters -- in particular Zayanna, who is holding out for a hero of any gender, and thinks Irene very heroic -- are interesting trope-embodiments as well as entertaining characters.
Was Kai's uncle's name actually a pun? If so, *groan*.
I do like Irene's mixture of level-headed competence and steely resolve. In this alternate Venice, she finds herself at the mercy of Narrative -- the way the stories go, or are supposed to go -- in a way that reminded me of Seanan McGuire's Indexing. She's also operating as a diplomat way above her pay grade; and her Library bosses won't be happy with some of the deals and alliances she makes.
After reading this episode, which ends on something of a cliffhanger, I went straight on to the next one ...
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